Why does my dish detergent get thicker when I add water to it?

Question

It's called "ultra," and is very concentrated. When the bottle gets low, I add water to use it all up. The first time I add water, it gets thicker, not thinner. Eventually, when it's almost gone, it acts like one would expect, and gets thinner when I add water. Can someone explain why?

It's Colgate's Palmolive Ultra. All it says about ingredients is "phosphate free." That's what's NOT in it. Not a word about what is in it.

Answer 1

There are several versions including Anti-bacterial, Aromatherapy, etc., but the main ingredients seem to be Triclosan, Water, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Polyglucose, Sodium & Magnesium, Dodecylbenzenesulfonate, SD Alcohol 3A, Sodium Xylene Sulfonate, Lauramide, Myristamide MEA, Sodium Chloride, Fragrance, Trisodium HEDTA

Triclosan (5-chloro- 2 - (2,4-dichlorophenoxy) phenol) seems to be the major ingredient in most of the Ultra products. This chemical is the Anti-microbial agent. It is emulsified into the water and surfactant (soap/detergent) mixture to get the product thin for use.

When you add additional water you form clusters of "soap" around the water droplets in the mixture. This resembles a gel, so the product seems thicker.

Answer 2

Any idea on the ingredients of the product?
Sounds interesting to me.

Might be due to the non-polar compounds inside that is repelling the water molecules, or due to a change in pH upon addition of water causing this.